


Who is _________ ?

by orphan_account



Series: Grindeldore One-Shots [16]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Demi Albus, Jelly Gellert, M/M, Mention of sex, Past relationship/s
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-06-16
Packaged: 2020-05-13 02:34:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19242076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: It had become a pattern with Gellert.“Who is Sofia?”Intrigue at these new names? No, it seemed to Albus more like jealousy at every person that he had come in contact with in the past.When Gellert would ask those very innocent questions, such as, “Who is Elphias?”Albus felt he could hear what was truly beneath those words.





	Who is _________ ?

It had become a pattern with Gellert.

“Who is Sofia?”

Intrigue at these new names? No, it seemed to Albus more like jealousy at every person that he had come in contact with in the past.

When Gellert would ask those very innocent questions, such as, “Who is Elphias?”

Albus felt he could hear what was truly beneath those words:

_“How did you meet him?_

_“Do you still speak much?”_

_“What compelled you to think of him now?”_

This and more hidden behind three words.

Albus would only answer to what he heard a loud, “One of my dearest friends throughout my Hogwarts years.” He offered what would be a satisfactory response for most. By the look on Gellert’s face, it had not been for him.  And though Albus once would have been happy to say more, he did not. It was not as though he was trying to be cruel, it was simply that they had moved quickly in their friendship, both wanting to know the most from one another in the shortest amount of time.

For Albus, it had been wonderful. In weeks he felt he had known Gellert all his life. He did not care so much about Gellert’s past, only their future. And it had not taken long for that friendship to turn to something more. It was time they both learned to savor their stories and time together.

For Gellert, Albus saw something a bit different. Gellert seemed to fixate more on that meaningless past. How interesting it was for a seer to be so focused on the past.

It felt akin to putting a cauldron over intense fire in the hopes of heating it rapidly. The hotter the flames the more likely the cauldron would bubble quickly, true, but there was always the risk of it spilling over.    

In these moment Albus could envision Gellert’s emotions spilling over, but it was only fleeting before the blond seemed to regain his focus on the present.

On them.

This pattern was not to be broken when Aberforth just happened to mention Alexander in passing.

“Do you hear from Alexander at all? He was a good fellow, smart as anything but humble too. Wouldn’t mind him coming for a summer visit.”

“No, I have not heard from him.”

“Pity, you had grown so close.”

Albus noticed how his brother’s eyes briefly darted in Gellert’s direction.

It was not by accident. This whole conversation had been a calculated move on his brother’s part, “He accepted a job at the ministry.” Albus informed, “I doubt we will be in contact for some time. If he does reach out I will send him your regards.”

Aberforth, noticing his brother’s tone, seemed pleased with his work.

Of course later, inevitably Gellert asked, “Who is Alexander?”

This time he got the answer that he had perhaps been waiting for all along, “A classmate of mine, someone who I had been seeing the year before graduation.” Albus said honestly.

“Really.” And by the look of Gellert’s face, Albus felt glad the other did not know Alexander’s last name. “And what was that relationship like?”

“I don’t think you really want to know, do you?”

“But I do. Unless you do not wish to tell me.”

“I have no problem with it, but I don’t know what you expect to gain out of such a conversation.”

It was enough of an invitation, and Gellert wasted no time before asking the pressing question in his mind, one of many that had been hidden under his initial inquiry, “Was he any good?”

That question alone gave Albus all he needed to understand. More to say he recognized, he did not personally understand why Gellert would wish to compare himself to another in a way so incomparable.

Albus’ silence drove Gellert to fill that void, “You have never been so shy to speak of sex before.” No longer finding the need to dance around the topic.

“No, but there is nothing to speak on.” Albus admitted plainly. Seeing that he had Gellert’s full attention, he continued, “We saw each other for only a year.”

“A year.” Gellert whispered in surprise to himself, it seemed a long time, “How can there be nothing to speak of?” He asked the other.

“Well not ‘nothing’ I suppose. Of course we held hands and cuddled next to each other in secret, kissed a few times even.”

“And.”

“And nothing.”

“Nothing?”

Albus nodded, unsure of what Gellert was not grasping. For him it had always been that way. It had been so easy for him to identify that he was attracted to males. But when it came to the physical, “In fact, I suspect he grew tired of waiting for me to make a move toward something I did not feel toward him… at least that’s what I told myself.” He smiled as he admitted, “It was easier to believe this than the other likely alternative that he simply grew tired of me, my personality-“

“-is wonderful.” Gellert finished abruptly, “He must have been a fool.”

Albus shook his head, “He wasn’t. In fact he challenged my position as top student in more than one class. Though of course in the end I was always more skillful.” It had been a bit strange to speak to Gellert about Alexander, but now that he was, it was calming. He had never told a soul, something he assumed Alexander had not either. Albus found he felt nothing speaking about the other boy he had once felt his heart race over.

“Was he hideous then?” Gellert asked, nose crinkling up as he surely imagined the cause of Albus’ disinterest.

“Not at all.”

“So what was it?” Gellert seemed a bit surprised, “What prevented you from being with him in such a way?”

“Should I have?” Albus asked with amusement.

Gellert seemed to realize how he sounded, “Of course not, I’m just curious.”

“I am not entirely sure.” Was Albus’ honest response, “There was just no interest.”

And there had not been, until-

How could he say that Gellert just felt comfortable. All Gellert had shared with him in earnest, he had a way of drawing long held secrets from Albus’s lips with just a look.  Their complete openness had paved the way for an emotion that had never before bloomed in him as it did his peers.

Albus was not a stranger to feelings of love, the way Gellert’s hand felt in his and the way their shoulders brushed against one another. This was not new.

But their kiss, their kiss had sparked something different entirely. The way they moved together both new and exciting.

So in fact he did know why, but this was something he did not quite know how to convey without the risk of sounding completely love struck. It was an attraction not based in the physical, despite what Gellert would wish to hear. What had drawn him so closely to the other, what had created that physical attraction, had been the comfortable long nights of conversation and a understanding he had never before felt. He felt he knew Gellert. That knowledge and love toward the other was something he marveled at since the days after their meeting. And how the stars had aligned so perfectly that the first to light that fire in him also felt the same. 


End file.
